Chương 63: Chapter 62 – Vanguard

The mess hall buzzed with the dull clatter of bowls and boots, the air thick with the smell of boiled grain and iron from sweat-soaked armor. Lanterns hung low, their orange light throwing long, tired shadows across the room. I was too exhausted to care. Even lifting my hand from bowl to mouth felt like work. Digging trenches all day in loose soil was a nightmare, especially after constantly training [Mana Reinforcement (UC)] while doing it.

The skill was flexible, usable with almost any physical activity, but for it to be effective in combat, I needed to refine my control over it. The constant practice left me drained, both mentally and physically. While Colin and Jack traded jokes with a few privates from other squads, I stayed quiet, focused on the simple rhythm of eating. Then, the noise began to fade.

"Hey, Edward! You were asking about the Vanguard, there they are." Colin's voice cut through the haze, pointing toward a group entering through the door. Their metal armor gleamed under lantern light, polished and heavy. I'd asked nearly everyone in my squad about the Vanguard, mostly because I wanted to know if Leif had been assigned to them, and if he'd been posted to this fort. He should've awakened about a month after me, so if he'd joined the Vanguard, he should already be here.

Most said they usually ate in the officers' mess at the command building, so I wasn't sure what brought them here tonight. I looked up, scanning the armored figures, planning to approach them, half-hoping one of them might know him. After all, only two Vanguard squads were stationed at the fort.

"Another fan of the Vanguard among us," someone joked behind me. But I barely heard it, because the moment I saw that familiar face, everything else went silent. I stood so fast my chair scraped against the floor. Leif noticed me too. His eyes widened, then that crooked grin spread across his face.

"Brother!" he shouted. We met halfway, colliding in a bear hug that nearly knocked the breath out of both of us. For a second, it was like the trenches, the mud, the fatigue, everything, vanished.

"You made it into the Vanguard," I said, grinning.

"I'm happy for you, brother. Congrats."

"Thanks!" he laughed, voice rough from exhaustion.

"It's been about what I expected, and worse. But hell, who'd have thought I'd run into you the day I got here?"

"You just arrived? You should've awakened three months ago. Where the hell were you all this time, still at Stonegate?"

"Not exactly," he said, wiping sweat from his neck.

"They kept us fifteen days for advanced drills, then tossed us into the wild for two damn months."

"Two months? My first expedition barely lasted twenty days," I said, shaking my head. Leif smirked, eyes glinting under the lamplight.

"After all, I'm Vanguard. I'll always be superior to you." Before I could reply, a firm voice came from behind.

"You need to work on your senses, kid. Your friend's already Tier 2." I turned, and froze.

"Sergeant Cole, sir!" I straightened instinctively and saluted. He was one of the first soldiers I'd met on my very first day in the army, the same steady posture, and the same Vanguard insignia on his shoulder caught the light like fire.

"At ease," he said with a faint smile.

"You know me?"

"Yes, sir. I'm Edward, I enlisted about a year and a half ago at Oxspell. You were part of the escort caravan that brought me to Stonegate." Recognition flickered in his eyes.

"Oh, I remember now." His voice softened.

"You've changed a lot. You were so scrawny back then I almost didn't recognize you. Seems you've grown, in more ways than one." His words reminded me of my condition, I'd met him in a torn shirt, bruised up and starving. The boy who used to pass out after thirty minutes of running laps was long gone.

"I'll leave you two to catch up. Leif, finish your meal and report after dinner, we still have to see the Captain." He paused and looked back at me.

"Edward, I'll be keeping an eye on you. The Vanguard's always looking for capable men." He turned and left, boots echoing against the floorboards. I leaned toward Leif.

"Does he know I'm not exactly the fighting type?" I whispered. I enjoyed improving my combat skills, but I didn't want to live and die by them. My interests had always pulled toward runes, siegecraft, and medicine. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Leif smirked.

"I don't think you'll get much choice if the Vanguard wants you."

"By the way," I asked, "what are you doing here? I heard the Vanguard usually eats in the command mess."

"Yeah," he said, shrugging.

"Sergeant told us too late that the main mess was closing early. Said it'd be better to grab food here first."

"Figures." I sighed.

"Go grab your stew, then. We'll talk after." Leif returned a few minutes later, bowl in hand, and sat beside me at our table.

"Hey, Colin, Jack, this is Leif, a friend from Stonegate. Leif, meet Colin and Jack from my squad." They exchanged quick greetings, and soon enough, the table filled with easy chatter, stories of training, near misses, and old jokes passed around like rations. Before long, the talk drifted to our friends back at Stonegate.

I found out Erick and Henry were enjoying their assignment in the logistics division, both placed in the same squad, while Farid was still in the scout department and, according to Leif, had become quite the marksman. When we finally stepped outside into the cool night, the others drifted away, leaving just me and Leif walking the yard. The air was cool, the fort dim except for the watch-torches along the walls. The smell of soil and oil mixed with smoke from the forges.

"I forgot to ask," he said, glancing over.

"How did you break through this early? I've been in the forest for two and a half months, and even though my class is close to Initiate Tier, my spiritual stats are lagging. According to my sergeant, it'll take another two years at least." I grinned.

"I was always smarter than you," I said, matching his teasing tone.

"But seriously, I'd already reached the Tier 2 threshold back at awakening. What about you? What class did you get, and what's your affinity?"

"Warrior Class. Sixty percent affinity to Earth," he replied, a note of pride in his voice. We reached the command area, the stone path echoing faintly under our boots.

"What are you doing tomorrow? If we can match schedules, maybe we can have a sparring match," I said.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to check with my sergeant first," he replied.

"Makes sense," I said with a faint smile.

"I've got two or three hours free after lunch. If you get the time, you'll find me at Company Three's training yard." He nodded, grinning.

"I'll try to make it." We talked a little longer before heading our separate ways. The next afternoon, I found him at Company Three's training yard. The sun was high, and heat shimmered above the packed dirt. A few soldiers sparred nearby, their shouts and the dull thud of wood against shields echoing across the yard. Leif arrived in light armor, spear in hand, grinning.

"Hope you didn't forget how to use that thing."

"Don't worry," I said, rolling my shoulders.

"Just don't cry when you lose." We took positions opposite each other.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded and raised my spear, grounding my stance as I activated [Defensive Spearplay (C)]. I wanted to rely purely on technique. Leif mirrored me, calm and steady, his movements sharp but unhurried. He struck first. His spear flashed forward, fast and precise. I caught the thrust on my shield, the impact reverberating up my arm. The next strike came instantly, a feint and sweep, forcing me to pivot and bring my spear across to block. Dust kicked up around our boots as we traded blows.

Every movement from him was clean, efficient, and economical. He didn't waste a single motion. Within seconds, he'd forced me back several paces. This sparring really showed me how much my spear technique was lagging behind. Even with my recent tier advancement, I was getting pushed back. Gritting my teeth, I activated [Perceptive Instinct (UC)]. The world seemed to sharpen; I could feel the intent behind his strikes, the faint shifts of mana that telegraphed his next move.

When he came in again, I caught his thrust just before it landed, deflecting it by a hair's breadth. Still, his rhythm was relentless. Each exchange forced me harder onto defense. I could feel the strain building in my shoulders and arms. Fine, then. I let go of my restraint and triggered [Mana Reinforcement (UC)]. The skill might not be effective against Walter, but it still provided a noticeable boost to my strength and agility.

Mana surged through my limbs, steady and hot, tightening my grip and sharpening each movement. The next clash sent a jolt through both weapons. My blows carried more weight now; his guard began to tremble under the pressure. He adjusted quickly, matching power with technique, but I could see the faint tremor starting in his spear arm. My strikes had begun to wear him down. We circled again, breath ragged, neither of us giving ground easily. The fight balanced on a knife's edge, his control against my raw momentum.

Finally, I saw it: an opening. He parried high, and I twisted my spear around his shaft, driving the blunt end into his chest. The hit knocked him back two steps before he stumbled and hit the dirt. For a moment, we just stood there, both breathing hard, sweat dripping into the dust. Leif exhaled and let out a hoarse laugh.

"You bastard. You won."

"Barely," I said between breaths, lowering my spear.

"You had me cornered the first few rounds." He offered a hand, and I took it.

"Next time," he said, "I'm winning."

"Looking forward to it." We sat on the ground, exhausted, watching the other soldiers training in the fields around us.

"Did you hear about the Grand Beast Tide?" I asked in a low, weary voice.

"Yeah," he replied quietly.

"When?"

"A few days after we left Stonegate," he said. I hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"I didn't want to bring it up yesterday, but… how do you feel about it?"

"What do you mean?" He glanced at me, frowning slightly.

"If you're asking whether I'm scared, then yes, I am. But I'm also excited."

"Yeah, I expected nothing less," I said with a faint smile.

"But that's not what I meant. As the tide approaches, I can't help feeling like we've been tricked. Lieutenant Clifford told us that if we performed well, we'd get posted to a fort and earn extra pay. Now it feels like that was just a way to motivate us, to face a calamity." I turned and met his eyes. He was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"I'd look at it this way, our good performance gave us time on the frontlines before the tide. It's experience most won't have when the real storm hits. Imagine if the fort needed reinforcements just a month before the tide; they'd pull people from Stonegate anyway. We'd still be here, just with less time to prepare." I nodded slowly.

"Yeah… I guess it's a matter of perspective." For a while, neither of us spoke. The wind carried the smell of oil and dust, and somewhere far off, the faint ring of hammers from the forge echoed across the yard. Leif saw the world as it was, a soldier's world where strength and timing decided who lived through the next storm. I respected that, even envied it sometimes. But I couldn't shake the thought that living meant more than just staying alive.

It was hard to reconcile the fact that boys barely sixteen were sent to the front with half the truth hidden from them. We were told about pay, duty, and honor, not about what it meant to dig trenches for monsters we hadn't even seen yet. Maybe that was the difference between us, the way we looked at the same horizon and saw two different wars coming.